Love Doesn't Always Conquer All
by Mrs Carmichael
Summary: AU Cain/Harriet fic. An interpretation of what happens after Harriet walks away from Cain after their October 25th kiss. Sexual content and plot twists await ;) x
1. The Hardest Goodbye

_Hello again lovely readers, I seem to be back again!_

 _You might've noticed that I haven't post this with the rest of my ficlets, and there's a very good reason for that, which I will explain at the end ;)_

 _Now for the warning; this piece contains sexual content so if that's not your thing, please don't read and moan at me for not warning you! :p_

 _For everyone else, I hope you enjoy :D_

 _Finally this is for Allison on Twitter, thank you so much for all the encouragement, I don't think I'd have bothered to write this if it wasn't for you!_

 _x_

* * *

 **Love Doesn't Always Conquer All**

 **Chapter One: The Hardest Goodbye**

Harriet's heart thumps relentlessly against her ribcage as she walks away from Cain for what could potentially be the last time. She knows he's watching her go but she doesn't dare look back because she knows what will happen if she does; his intense gaze will draw her back in and test her already shaky resolve where he's concerned once again.

Their passionate kiss has reignited the internal debate that has raged within her ever since she ended their relationship just over a fortnight beforehand. The kiss has reminded Harriet of all the reasons why she shouldn't turn her back on the village, and on him. It takes a few seconds but she soon remembers why she's making this drastic change to her life, and she's torn once again. She's torn between doing the best thing for everyone around her, and the best thing for herself. Harriet knows what she wants, but she also knows what is right and realistic, and unfortunately for her, they're not the same thing.

She looks down at her watch as she continues to put the distance between herself and Cain, who's probably still stood upon the garage forecourt. It's only mid-afternoon, but the pub seems to be calling her name, perhaps a drink plus some company might help to get her messed up thoughts into some sort of order.

Harriet pushes open the door to the Woolpack and immediately regrets choosing to venture inside. Faith's behind the bar, she's chatting animatedly to the punters as she serves the drinks, regaling them with chatter about her beautiful new-born grandson and at that moment, it's more than Harriet can stomach. Faith's disregard for her feelings about this whole sorry scenario is the straw that breaks the camel's back for Harriet. She graciously stepped aside so that Cain could be a Dad to his little boy, but Issac's existence is being rubbed in her face at every opportunity, and she can't deal with it. If only they knew. In that moment, the decision is made; she _has_ to get out of the village and make a new life for herself elsewhere, as she said to Victoria in the shop earlier, go somewhere where she hasn't hooked up with the local bad-boy.

She feels that now the decision has been made, a weight has been lifted from her shoulders, but she's dreading having to tell Cain. His impassioned plea to her had got her exactly where he knew it probably would and the thought of breaking his heart all over again simultaneously breaks her. How can she tell him that this is just how is has to be?

Harriet eventually retreats from the pub doorway and steps back outside into the brisk October breeze. She sits herself down upon the wooden bench outside, a deep sigh emanates from her lips as she loses herself in her own thoughts. She is only pulled from her reverie when she's approached by a familiar figure. "Penny for those," Pearl quietly comments as she sits down next to the vicar and rests a comforting hand upon her arm. When Harriet doesn't answer, a frown creases the older woman's face, "are you alright?" she asks as she notes the sadness that is so clearly painted upon Harriet's face, "I thought you were supposed to be looking at that new parish in Oxford today?"

"I was," Harriet replies, "but the bus broke down, so it's in the garage. I'm hoping Cain or Ross will look at it for me today," she adds, "I've put the parish off until tomorrow anyway."

Pearl sense that something else is troubling Harriet too, and she wants to help. "You look like you could do with a drink," Pearl says as she glances over at the Woolpack.

Harriet nods in agreement, "I do," she admits, "just not in there."

Pearl smiles, "we'll go back to the cottage the," she responds.

Again, Harriet nods in agreement as she slowly gets to her feet. Pearl follows her lead shortly afterwards and together, they make their way back to the cottage for a much-needed drink.

* * *

"He kissed me," Harriet blurts out to Pearl as she sits in one of the armchairs, cradling a cup of coffee in her hands.

Pearl quickly swallows her mouthful of tea before replying, "and?" she questions, sensing there is more to come.

Harriet takes a quick sip of her coffee as she steels herself to respond. "I kissed him back," she admits to Pearl, it's all she feels comfortable admitting to the older woman. She doesn't want to divulge how intense, passionate and insanely hot she found it, nor does she want to divulge how it's reawakened her desire to have one last night of passion with him before she closes the door on them, "he doesn't want me to go," she eventually adds.

"How do you feel about that?" Pearl asks her, "because it seems to me as though this move has come more than a little bit out of the blue."

Harriet shrugs her shoulders, "I don't know," she answers honestly, "I wish I didn't have to leave because I love it round here, but I don't think I have any other choice. I just think it's best if I move on, start again elsewhere."

"Best for who?"

"It'll just be better all round if I go," Harriet tells her sadly, "Cain and Moira can be together and raise Issac in a loving family and if I move away too, I can get over what we've had together."

She sounds so sure of that fact as she speaks the words but deep down, she knows she's never going to be able to get over what they have shared these past few months. Harriet has never ever felt this way about anyone before, not even about Ashley, and she proposed to him. She's thought about it a lot in the past few weeks and has now come to realise that her feelings for Cain far outstrip anything she ever felt for Ashley. Sure, she did love Ashley once upon a time and still misses him to this day, but ultimately, she feels as though they were drawn together by their mutual love of God and their shared beliefs. Cain made her feel alive whenever they were together, he was the one who found her, picked her up and brought her back to life after Ashley's untimely demise, no-one else really cared, but he did. Harriet loves him but right now, it's not helping, if anything, her feelings for him are making this whole situation worse. She wishes she could go back to the days where her heart didn't skip a beat when she clapped eyes on him but she can't, she would never take back anything that's happened between them, even though the breakdown of the relationship has left her broken-hearted and determined to make a new life for herself elsewhere. It's been fifteen days since she told him to go and fight for Moira and essentially, forget about what they had shared; she wishes she could take her own advice but even now, the desire to have him rip her clothes off and make love to her like he had done on so many occasions before is still entrenched in her mind, it's something she cannot shake.

Pearl looks sadly over at Harriet before finding her voice, "you don't seem overly thrilled about the prospect of a fresh start," she notes.

It's true, the look upon Harriet's face suggests that not only is it a decision that she's not taking lightly, it's a decision that will cause her entire world to implode. "Why would I be?" she questions, "I love him, and I want to be with him more than anything in the world, but I can't have him, he belongs with Moira and their baby. If I stick around here, I'll be reminded everyday of what I've lost," she adds, "trust me to fall for the one man I really can't have," she finishes with a sardonic laugh at her own expense.

Pearl glances sadly at the vicar and at this present moment, she's never felt more sorry for her. She's seen her mood reach both ends of the spectrum in the past few months; she saw the unadulterated happiness that Cain seemed to bring into Harriet's life and now that the relationship has crashed and burnt, she's seeing the misery that Harriet's feeling at not having him around anymore. In the time that they had lived together, Pearl had never seen Harriet so happy as she had been since she had hooked up with Cain and seeing the loved-up pair canoodling at the breakfast table had become a familiar sight for her in the mornings. It had been a bit difficult for Pearl to get used to Cain's frequent presence in the house to begin with, and after a rather unfortunate incident in which she had caught the pair of them in bed together, she had learnt to give the two of them their space. Since that particular incident, Cain had stayed over quite a bit and his presence in the cottage was something Pearl had gotten quite to, as Harriet obviously had too. Finally, the older woman spoke, "you just do whatever feels right for you love," Pearl consolingly tells Harriet, "but if it's any consolation, I'll miss you."

A small smile creases Harriet's beautiful face, "I'll miss you too," she replies, "but I'll come back and visit, and you'd be more than welcome to come and visit me once I'm settled."

Pearl smiles back and that brings the conversation to a close, the older woman sips slowly at her now lukewarm cup of tea and picks up a magazine that sits on the coffee table between them. Harriet goes back to sipping at her coffee and once again, she loses herself in the her own thoughts. He's there once again, at the forefront of her mind; she literally cannot stop thinking about the kiss they shared on the garage forecourt just a few hours beforehand. If she closes her eyes, she can still feel the intensity of the moment, the heavenly feeling of his lips upon hers once again, she wants him now, perhaps more than she has ever wanted him before. The truth of the matter is, Harriet Finch is horny, and there's only one person she wants to sort her out in that regard. It could turn out to be the worst idea in the world but her mind is set. Harriet takes in one last mouthful of coffee before depositing her cup upon the coffee table. She smiles over at Pearl as she rises from the armchair before leaving the room to head upstairs. She's on a mission, a mission to go get 'her' man for one final time.

* * *

Cain's home-alone at Wishing Well Cottage that evening, but not for long…

Zak and Lisa have taken Kyle away for a couple of days as its half-term, Belle is staying the night once again at Lachlan's and Liv's with Gabby so for the moment, Cain's only company is the dog. He doesn't mind it as much as usual because it allows him some time to think about the kiss he shared with Harriet earlier that day. A smile crosses his face at the merest thought of her, it's the first smile that's creased his handsome face in a while. In truth, he's been thoroughly miserable since Harriet had put the brakes on their relationship a couple of weeks previously, not even his beautiful new-born baby boy could lift his spirits. Moira hated him and neither wanted him back nor wanted him to have anything to do with their baby. His relationship with Harriet had failed and now Moira had told him in no uncertain terms that she no longer wanted him in her life, he couldn't help wondering whether his relationship with the vicar could now be retrieved. The fact that she had kissed him back at the garage earlier that day told him that she wasn't ready to properly let go of what they had shared. It was a kiss that, like Harriet, he literally cannot stop thinking about; it was so much more intense than anything they had shared together previously and he couldn't put his finger on why that was. He really didn't want her to go so perhaps the kiss had ended up being so intense because he had tried to convey his feelings for her through the intensity of the kiss in the hope that she would understand what he was trying to tell her. Cain fervently hoped that it was enough to at least make her think twice about moving on. Little did he know that the decision had already been made…

A knock upon the cottage's heavy wooden door startles Cain and brings him out of his trance. He wonders who it could be as he rises from the sofa, he answers the door and is stunned to find Harriet standing upon the front step. Cain can't help but take an appreciative glance over her body as she stands before him; from the black leather jacket and the mini-dress that hems at mid-thigh to the black-sheathed legs and heels, she looks truly stunning and in that moment, he wonders why he didn't chase after her fifteen days beforehand. Why is he only now truly appreciating what he could lose if she was to leave the village?

"Harr-"

Cain doesn't even get to finish greeting her because the exquisite feeling of her lips upon his silences him. She pulls back, takes a few steadying breaths and her forehead settles against his; it's almost a mirror image of the kiss that Cain had instigated just a few hours previously at the garage except this time, she was the one making all the moves. Harriet's hand rests against his jawline and her lips land upon his once more; Cain's response to her is immediate, he can't resist her and he's soon kissing her back. His hand goes to cradle her neck while Harriet groans quietly into the kiss as her lips part against his own. Cain mimics her movements and his tongue is very quick to finds hers; a low moan emanates from her lips as her hand becomes fisted in his hair for the second time that day. The kiss is intense, in a way that their kiss earlier in the day wasn't. Harriet knows why, it's because she knows it'll be one of the last kisses she shares with him. Her heart breaks a little bit more as the realisation hits her, but she doesn't let it show, she simply ramps up the intensity another notch. It's a kiss that is so intense, it leaves her feeling weak at the knees. Eventually however, Harriet is the one to pull away and Cain shoots her a questioning look as she does so. "What do you want Harriet?" he asks her softly.

She hears the questioning tone in his voice and it almost makes think twice about what she plans to do, almost, but not quite. Harriet ploughs on, "you," she tells him simply, "I just want you."

Her words are music to Cain's ears and his heart begins to soar in his chest, he can't help but wonder whether this is the precursory hook-up that leads to a reunion between the pair. However, the reality is somewhat different, Cain just doesn't know it yet and Harriet can't bring herself to tell him.

He pulls her impatiently into the cottage and closes the door behind the two of them, Cain turns back towards Harriet and he's drawn towards her once again. He strides towards her and once he is close enough, his hands come to rest upon her shoulders. Cain slips the leather jacket off her shoulders and the garment falls to the floor at Harriet's feet. He kisses her once more, instigating another passionate exchange between the pair, another kiss that she cannot help but lose herself in. In the midst of this kiss, Cain's hands travel over her beautifully curvaceous body but all of a sudden, he pulls away. Harriet shoots him a look of confusion as she kicks off her heels, it's soon quelled as he moves to stand behind her and pulls her body back against his own. She groans out loud as she feels the beginnings of his erection against the curve of her backside; in that moment, any doubts she had about what she was planning to do flee her mind, she cannot deny herself this pleasure, especially as she knows they may never have this moment again.

Harriet gasps out loud as she feels Cain's kisses against her neck, one of his arms is folded around her waist while his other hand has found the hem of her mini-dress. The skirt of her dress is soon gathered above her waist while Cain sets about trying to remove her tights; Harriet senses that he's struggling so she reaches down to help him. It takes them a few minutes but soon enough, her tights are slung over the top of one of the chairs, they're not needed for what Harriet has in mind for the rest of the night.

She turns around to face Cain and doesn't even bother to pull the skirt of her dress down, it's a pretty pointless exercise because she knows it'll be on the floor soon enough. Harriet grasps the collar of his shirt in her hands and pulls him back towards her, "how about we take this upstairs?" she murmurs softly to him as she glances up at the ceiling and then back at him to emphasise her point.

Cain doesn't need to be asked twice, he presses a single kiss to her waiting lips before lifting her off the ground. Harriet's legs curl around his waist while her arms become draped over his shoulders as she kisses him again. He kisses her back and ups the intensity as he carries her across the floor and then up the stairs.

A few moments later, he bundles her into his room and sets her down upon the edge of the bed. Cain steps back slightly and admires her once again as she rises from her perch. Harriet instigates another kiss, it's deep and she uses her tongue to prise open his lips. Once he responds to her movement, her tongue strokes over his. The groan that follows from him turns her on beyond belief. She's savouring the moment, committing all of this to memory so that she has something to savour when she misses him in the future.

Harriet feels his hand stray onto her breast, she gasps into the kiss as he strokes over the front of her dress before allowing his hands to stray to her back. Cain's fingers find the zip and he undoes it in an agonisingly slow fashion. She's reluctant to break the kiss but she soon realises that it has to be done if their latest passionate encounter is going to progress. Harriet eventually breaks away and then smirks as she allows her gaze to settle upon Cain. Her gaze doesn't waver from him for a moment as she takes her dress off before casting it aside upon his bedroom floor.

The intensity of the moment still lingers and it spurs Cain into action; his clothes are shed in minutes and he soon stands before her in nothing but his boxers. Harriet settles herself on the edge of his bed once again but she soon shuffles backwards and dives beneath the bedclothes, Cain joins her moments later. His hands stray to her back again, her body arches against him in response to his movement as he fumbles with the clasp of her bra. He undoes her bra before throwing it somewhere out of sight, Harriet sighs in an expression of pleasure as she feels his warm breath against her skin, knowing there's a real possibility that this could be the last time she feels it. Cain's head is bent over her as he presses a soft kisses to each of her firm breasts, his kiss is soft, but it's enough to harden her nipples, such is the affect that he has upon her body. She cannot control her body's reaction to his ministrations upon her, it's something she's never been able to do, and tonight is no exception.

Another groan emanates from her lips as he teases her nipples between his finger and thumb before pressing his lips to the hardened buds. He then blows across them and the movement makes her shiver with delight; Cain then takes things up a gear by taking her nipple into his mouth and teasing it with his tongue. He sucks gently, until Harriet begins to moan. It's not only his ministrations upon her body that are turning her on, but also the distinct feeling of his erection against her inner thigh. At times, she still struggles to believe that he's as into this as she is, but the evidence is indisputable, and it's an amazingly empowering feeling for her to have.

Harriet reaches for him, she strokes over the front of his boxers and feels him jerk in response to her touch. It's her turn to tease him for the moment; she traces the growing bulge, touching him and teasing him in a way she may never do again. She knows what he wants, and she also knows how far she can push him before he becomes desperate for a release, he's not there just yet…

She sits herself up slightly and Cain rolls onto his side as a result, his hand finds her waist and slips beneath the material of her knickers. Harriet closes her eyes as she feels the material slipping further and Cain eventually takes them from her; she'll never forget the feelings of desire that flood her body everytime he does that, and this time is no exception either. Her hand finds his shoulder and she pushes him so he's flat-out on his back. Harriet climbs on top of him, straddling his waist before she leans down to kiss him; Cain's disappointed that she doesn't linger for too long but that is soon satiated as her lips settle upon his neck. She kisses him there, nipping gently as he elicits a soft gasp. Harriet smirks against him as she continues her descent, her kisses move over his chest, as do the nips to his skin. His gasp of earlier escalates into a moan and his breathing begins to deepen in line with her movements, he has a feeling that he knows where she's going with this, but he's wrong….

Eventually, Harriet's head dips beneath the bedclothes and out of sight for the time being. Cain gasps as he feel her warm hands upon his hips as she makes a move to rid him of his boxers. The last garment is removed and quickly cast aside in the confines of the bedclothes, he won't be needing those.

She eventually crawls back and her head pokes out from beneath the bedclothes. Harriet gets herself into position against him and Cain's gaze remains fixed upon her as her hands cup his jawline. She leans forward, her lips meeting his in a slow yet passionate kiss; Harriet groans against him as she lowers herself onto his throbbing erection. Cain's own groan of pleasure is swallowed by her as the delicious sensation floods their bodies at the same time. His hands settle against her hips and he holds her there for a few brief seconds, savouring the moment because he had begun to wonder whether she would ever come back to him, but she has. Harriet finally begins to move against him, she's slow to begin with but as the two of them settle into a rhythm, her movements very quickly gather in pace. Her lips part from his as her head comes to rest in the crook of his neck while she takes a firm grip upon his forearms. There's always been something pretty intense about their sex, but this time feels so different, and Harriet knows exactly why; it's because she knows that it could potentially be the last time she ever does the deed with him. She can't even look him in the eye, because he would see the sadness, then the questions would begin, and she doesn't want that. "Harriet," he murmurs to her, his voice is quiet but in the silence, it's loud enough for her to hear, "look at me, please," he adds, pleading with her.

Harriet inhales a deep breath before she lifts her head and immediately, Cain's gaze meets her. He sees the look in her eyes and he can't help feeling a bit perturbed by it. "Are you OK?" he asks her, the element of concern in his voice is obvious, he's worried that she's just not into this anymore.

Nothing could be further from the truth, she's still as into this as she ever was, but the fact that this could be the very last time they do this is breaking her heart. Still, Harriet cannot bring herself to tell him the truth, she swallows the lump that's risen in her throat, then she speaks, "I'm fine," she says to him as she pushes her brunette locks out of her face. Harriet leans back over him, "I'm more than fine in fact."

Their lips once again meet in a kiss and to prove her point to him, Harriet ramps up the pace of her movements as their tongues stroke teasingly over the other. Cain's hands began to guide her as they reach a crescendo; he's close, so is she, the moment is near.

Harriet's orgasm hits her so suddenly that's she's almost not prepared for it; her body goes into raptures and she shudders as the sensation tears through her. Cain coaxes her through with a few well-placed kisses and seconds later, his own climax is upon him and he groans noisily against her shoulder as he allows the sensation to completely envelope him. Harriet's movements above him slow down until eventually, they cease completely. She withdraws before settling herself down beside him in his double bed.

The silence in the post-coital moment is deafening for Harriet, usually she doesn't mind it but tonight, it's really getting to her. She knows why, it's because she knows what's going to come next, not straightaway of course but at some point in the next few hours. Now they've done the deed, she cannot stop thinking about her next move, "You certainly won't get that if you move to Oxford," Cain eventually tells her, breaking the silence that lingers between them. Harriet nods, not giving a verbal response to his words. She's unusually quiet, and it's something that really bothers him, "are you sure you're OK Harriet?" he adds questioningly as he props himself on his side so he can look at her.

She nods, he strokes the back of his hand across her cheek and she is overwhelmed with affection for him in that moment, she wishes more than anything that things could be different. "I'm just tired," she tells him, "it feels as though it's been a very long day."

Cain nods, accepting her explanation, "we'll sleep then," he tells her decisively, "we've got plenty of time to talk."

Harriet wishes that was true, but it's not. She can't even tell him what she's planning to do, because she knows what will happen if she does; he will convince her to stay, she will give in and they will both be back to square one. It's a lose-lose situation for her, this is her only real way out. "Night Cain," she says to him as she leans over.

She closes her eyes as she presses a soft and tender goodnight kiss to his lips, perhaps the last kiss she will ever give him. Cain briefly responds but Harriet doesn't let it linger and she soon pulls away, turning her back on him to make herself comfy.

He shuffles into position and spoons her gently from behind; he holds her a little tighter than he usually would do because despite what she's telling him, he can sense something is up, and he wonders what exactly it is that she's not telling him. "Night Harriet," he eventually replies as he presses a kiss to the join between her neck and her shoulder, "I love you."

She doesn't respond so Cain presumes she just didn't hear it. However, the smiles that's creased her face and the tear that leaves her eye suggests otherwise…

* * *

Cain Dingle could sleep through the apocalypse and wake up oblivious, Harriet doesn't know how he does it. Three hours have now elapsed since they said their goodnights and she still hasn't properly dropped off. Her mind is still racing with thoughts; thoughts of Cain, what they had shared that night and in the past few months and most of all, the thought of hearing him finally say those three precious words. She's wanted to hear him say them for so long but now, it's too little, too late…

The bedside clock now reads 1:30am and Harriet's next move is imminent, if she doesn't make it soon, she never will. Her mind is set, she has to do this.

Cain's grip upon her has loosened significantly since he fell into his deep sleep and Harriet's grateful for this, it means she can sneak out unnoticed. She hates the idea of doing it but she knows what will happen if she stays, and she can't bear it. Harriet slowly slips out of his bed and creeps around the room, retrieving her clothes from his floor before pulling each item on. Once she's fully dressed, she straightens herself up, takes one final, lingering glance at Cain's sleeping form before taking her leave.

All is quiet downstairs at Wishing Well Cottage, and Harriet is grateful. She exhales a heavy breath as she takes one last look around the cottage. Her gaze settles upon a notepad that sits on the coffee table; Harriet knows she owes Cain an explanation for all of this and seeing as though she cannot bear to do it face-to-face, this is the next best thing.

She finds a pen amongst all the mess before settling herself upon the sofa to pen a note to Cain. Harriet flicks through the pad to find a blank page and smiles at the doodles she finds, someone has obviously been playing Hangman with Kyle, because most of the pages are filled with half-finished words and stick men hanging from the gallows. She finally finds a blank page and begins to write, it's not an easy note for her to write. She can't help sniffling and letting her tears fall onto the paper as she signs it off with a couple of kisses.

Harriet rips out the piece of paper, folds it up and leaves it propped up against a half-full glass of something or another that sits upon the dining table. She finds her discarded tights from earlier, stuffing them into the handbag that she had discarded upon the dining room table. Harriet then picks up her leather jacket before slipping on her heels and heading towards the door.

She's ready to go.

Harriet steps out into the brisk October night, pulling her leather jacket tightly around her as she quietly closes the front door to Wishing Well Cottage and begins to walk away. Before she gets out of sight of the quaint little cottage, she takes one final glance at the building, "it's just you and me now, little one," she murmurs softly as her hand flattens against her stomach, "and we'll be just fine."

Harriet walks away a few moments later and when she turns back again, the cottage is no longer in sight. Out of sight, out of mind, she wishes.

* * *

The weak rays of sunshine coming through his window awaken Cain from his slumber later that morning. He stretches out towards the other side of the bed, where he expects Harriet's still sleeping, but he's surprised when his hand meets the bedsheet beneath. The sleepiness is forced from his body at this unexpected development as he sits up in bed. Cain immediately gets up and finds himself a pair of boxer shorts before pulling on yesterday's clothes and leaving the room.

"Harriet?" he calls as he slowly descends the stairs.

There's no response and he can't help wondering where she is, only then does it dawn upon him that she might have snuck out while he was asleep. His fear is confirmed when he finds the note addressed to him upon the dining table. Cain sits himself down in one of the high-backed chairs before he unfolds her note. Eventually, he steels himself to read it:

 _Dear Cain,_

 _I'm so for leading you on last night, and for giving you hope that we could somehow get past all the drama with our relationship still intact. I know it's selfish, but I just wanted one last time with you, so I can try to draw a line under what we've had these past few months._

 _I need to move on, and now seems as good a time as any._

 _I still stand by what I said to you in the church; I love you, and I now know for sure that I always will, but I cannot be the one that stands between you and your beautiful newborn son. I know how you feel about me but the truth is, I don't think I will be ever be enough. You can deny it all you want, but you belong with Moira, and baby Issac. They need you._

 _Please don't try to call me and talk me out of this, it's just something I've got to do. It'll be better for everyone in the long-run, you'll see._

 _All my love,_

 _Harriet xx_

It all makes sense to him now, this was why she had been so emotional as they had made love the night before, because she had planned to do this all along.

Cain doesn't make a habit of showing his emotions but this time, he just cannot help himself. The tears spring to his eyes and he balls her letter up in his fist; he throws it across the room before it disappears out of sight.

It's over, his life is never going to be the same again.

The worst thing is, he doesn't even know that she's taking his unborn child with him…

* * *

 _So, there you have it. It's unrealistic as Hell, but I don't care. These two ideas just wouldn't leave me alone!_

 _Feel free to let me know your thoughts and if there's enough interest, I could be persuaded to write another chapter or two :p_

 _x_


	2. Precious Cargo

_Hello lovely readers!_

 _I seem to find myself back here again, a lot sooner than I thought I would do!_

 _Thanks so much to everyone that took the time to read the last chapter, I appreciate the comments and the feedback so much :D_

 _Certainly could not leave things as they were so here's another chapter for you all to enjoy, I hope!_

 _I've implemented a slight time-jump in this chapter from the last, purely because I have no real interest in chronicling Harriet's entire pregnancy, and I just want to move things along._

 _Happy reading gang_

 _x_

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Precious Cargo**

"Harriet Finch," she greets the on-duty receptionist at the desk, "I've got an ultrasound booked for 10:30."

The receptionist nods her head and checks her in using their computerised appointment system before gesturing towards the waiting area, inviting the pregnant woman to take a seat while she waits to be called through.

Harriet pulls off her bulky winter coat and immediately, the pregnancy bump is obvious. She's almost halfway there now, she's approaching twenty weeks and today is the day she's been waiting for. She will hopefully find out today whether she's having a boy or a girl; Harriet doesn't really care what she has, as long as he or she are healthy. As an older mother-to-be, the risk of complication with Harriet's pregnancy are greater because of her age and she knows this. It's why she just wants a healthy baby.

Her thoughts drift onto Cain as she wonders what he would've liked had the situation been different, if he had been here to support her through this challenging time. He's already got one daughter in Debbie and two sons in Kyle and Issac, so somehow she thinks he'd like another daughter to even things up. Cain had been unaware of Debbie's existence for many years so hadn't even been remotely involved in her upbringing, as she had been adopted, so if she was to have a little girl, it would've been nice for him to be involved in bringing her up. But it wasn't to be, he's not even aware she's carrying his baby, and Harriet is all set to do it on her own.

Harriet's soon brought back into the room as she heard her name being called by her doctor. She rises from her chair, picking up her coat and bag before she walks towards the doorway from which her name had been called from.

Her doctor greets her warmly with a shake of the hand before settling her down upon the edge of the bed. She wraps the blood pressure cuff around her upper arm and once it's registered a reading, she notes it down in her file before removing it.

Harriet's blood pressure has fluctuated throughout her pregnancy, it was higher than the doctors would've liked at her last appointment so she had been advised to take things easy and rest as much as she could. She had not taken too kindly to that but despite this, she had done as her doctor had asked. After all, she didn't want to anything that would endanger the life of her and Cain's baby. Sure, he still had no idea that Harriet was even pregnant but something told her it would only be a matter of time before the truth came out. In fact, it would come out a lot sooner than she thought...

Her doctor seems a lot happier with her blood pressure reading this time around, it's lower than it was the last time. She asks Harriet a few more questions, which she answers while her doctor made more notes to add to her file before standing up and guiding her down the corridor into a dimly-light room where the ultrasound was to be carried out.

Harriet is familiar with the procedure but she still can't believe how nervous she feels as she lies back on the couch before lifting her loose-fitting t-shirt to her chest and her trousers to her hips. She wishes more than ever that the situation could be different, that she had someone here with her. In an ideal world, Cain would've been sat beside her, but she blew that one all on her own. Failing that, she would've asked Laurel but as she hadn't been in touch with anyone from the village since she had left so that was another avenue blocked for her. In fact, no-one back in the the village even knew she was pregnant, Harriet had confided that secret to no-one before her departure. The only person who knew was her old friend from the Force, who had let her stay, but she had been unable to get the time off work to come with her that day.

Harriet winces slightly as the cold ultrasound gel is rubbed onto her tummy and a few moments later, the sonographer begins passing the probe over the pregnant woman's tummy.

Another few moments pass and a black and white picture of the baby cooking in Harriet's tummy is projected onto the screen. Harriet has to tilt her head slightly to see but when she doesn't, she overwhelmed by what's in front of her very eyes. It feels like a pinch-me-I'm-dreaming sort of moment but it's a reality, that's her and Cain's baby on the screen.

The sonographer continues passing the probe over Harriet's tummy, talking her through everything as she looks in detail at the baby's vital organs and more. She listens intently to what she's being told and as the scan goes on, it becomes apparent to her that they're very happy with how her baby is developing; it's happy, healthy and thriving in her tummy.

A switch is flicked and baby's heartbeat is projected into the dimly-lit room, the sound of her baby's good, strong heartbeat sends Harriet's emotions into overdrive. Having a child wasn't really something she had thought a great deal about, that was until she fell pregnant; now however, all she wants to do is keep that baby safe and hearing its little heart beating as it was has reinforced her determination to do just that.

Her sonographer's voice eventually breaks through her reverie, "would you like to know what you're having?" she asks kindly.

Harriet nods her head, "yes please," she replies.

"OK," the sonographer starts, "I'm about 90% certain of this, it's a girl."

She's blown away by the news and her emotions overwhelm her once again; in just a few short months, she's going to have a little girl. Harriet Finch is having Cain Dingle's daughter, she can't believe it.

* * *

Once her ultrasound scan has been completed and her next appointment with the doctor has been booked, Harriet leaves Hotten General through the automatic doors. She steps into the car park with the sonographer's words echoing in her ears, "I'm about 90% certain of this, it's a girl."

She hasn't found it easy to adjust to being pregnant at all, she hates it in fact. As a result of her age, there was a greater risk of miscarriage and other complications with the baby itself and most people would've though twice about going ahead with it, not her though. Harriet had been determined to go ahead with the pregnancy; not only did she see this as her only chance, but she was also determined to hold onto the last piece of Cain that she has left.

Harriet pulls her phone out of her bag and begins to dial a number. She glances around her, doing a double take as she sees a familiar face leaning against a nearby cycle rail, taking a call upon on his own phone. It's him; it's Cain Dingle.

He looks up as she continues to glance in his direction; Cain thought she'd left, taking up that job in Oxford and with it, residence in the parish too, apparently not. She looks different, radiant even, and Cain can't put his finger on what's changed. It's been ten weeks since he last saw her but as he continues to hold her gaze, all those feelings, the bad as well as the good, that he thought he had buried weeks ago came flooding back. Despite the hurt she had caused him in leaving without saying goodbye, curiosity incessantly bites at him as he wonders not only why she's back but here, Hotten General, of all places.

Eventually, Cain break their gaze and returns to his call. He's very quick to wrap it up however, as he's decided that he wants to catch Harriet before she leaves again, she won't hang around forever. Once he's finished his call, Cain makes his move, "fancy seeing you here," he comments as he approaches her.

Harriet meets his gaze once again, her stomach does an involuntary flip and the butterflies that had lain dorment since the last time she had seen him take flight. The time apart has done little to dull the intensity of her feelings for him. If anything, now she knows she's carrying his healthy baby daughter, her feelings are probably stronger now because of the precious little life growing inside her. "Cain," she greets him cordially, "what are you doing here?" she adds questioningly.

He folds his arms across his chest, "I could ask you the same question," he responds.

"I asked first," Harriet fires back.

Cain smothers a chuckle, there's still an echo of the flirtatious banter they had shared once upon a time. Finally, he answers, "I just brought Chas a change of clothes, she was admitted last night after a friend of hers pranged her car. She apparently didn't want to be seen out and about in broad daylight dressed as Wonder Woman."

Harriet puts a hand to her mouth, but her infectious laugh still escapes. "Is Chas OK?" she asks once she's finished laughing.

Cain nods, "she's fine, she's had the scans and the x-rays but they've come back clear so she's being discharged later today," he explains, "I think she's just bruised and sore more than anything else," he adds before continuing, "now, enough about Chas, what are _you_ doing here?"

She's silent for a few moments, perhaps now is the time to drop the bombshell, she's probably never going to find a better time to do it. "Scan," she finally replies, the bulky winter coat she's wearing doesn't make it immediately obvious that she's pregnant and in the present company, she's grateful for that.

Ten weeks have elapsed since she left, but Cain can't deny that he still cares, "are you OK?" he asks her.

Harriet can hear the concerned tone in his voice and it shores up her certainty about what she has to do next. She needs to let him know that in a few short months time, he's going to be a father again.

For a few moments, there's no flicker of a reaction from her but in the end, she nods her head, "yeah," Harriet finally responds, "we're both fine."

Cain's relieved to hear that Harriet's OK, but there's really only one word in what she had spoken that stands out for him; we're. "We?" he questions.

He knows deep down what's coming next but Cain wants to hear her say it; he doesn't want to have to force it out of her. Harriet looks up at him, then she says the words, "yes, we," she tells him, pausing for a few moments before she finishes, "I'm pregnant Cain."

His mind reels as her words echo relentlessly in his ears, he doesn't even know what to say at this point. It takes a while before he finally finds his voice, "it's mine?" he questions.

It's heartless of Cain to even ask the question, Harriet's not the type to sleep around. Deep down, he knows it's his, he doesn't need her to verbalise the answer. However, after everything he's been through with Moira, Cain can't help erring on the side of caution.

Harriet scowls at him, "of course she's yours," she snaps, "I haven't spread my legs for anyone, other than you, since Ashley," she adds, reminding him of the barren period she had endured after Ashley had dumped her.

Her choice of words hurt Cain because they paint what they had in such a sordid light. They both know it was far bigger, and more meaningful than that. "Alright, alright," Cain concedes. He's no expert on pregnancy, far from it in fact, but even he knows he can't be getting her worked up. She's having his baby, and he doesn't want any harm to come to either of them, "you're having my daughter?" he asks her, completely stunned by the turn of events.

Harriet nods her head, "I am," she confirms.

The two of them take a slow walk across the car park before sitting themselves down side-by-side upon one of the wooden benches, Cain's the first to break the silence, "do you have a picture?" he asks her, "from the scan, I mean."

Harriet smiles at him, she nods her head as she opens up her bag before pulling out the sleeve that contains the snapshots of their baby. "She's OK, isn't she?" he questions as she passes him the pictures.

Again, Harriet nods her head, "the doctor's are happy with how she's developing so far," Harriet replies, "she's healthy, and that's all I can ask for."

It's an awkward silence that falls between the two former lovers as Cain gazes down in awe at the scan pictures of his unborn daughter. Seeing the ultrasound image puts it all into perspective, he's going to be a Dad again in a few months time. Harriet watches as Cain's finger traces over the ultrasound image and she sees how choked up and emotional her news has made him, it's not a side to him that's she seen very often at all, it warms her heart to say the least. Her news however, has left him with a lot of unanswered questions, and he needs answers. "Did you know?" he asks her as he swallows the lump that's risen in his throat, "before you left."

Harriet closes her eyes and lifts her head skywards, she knows her silence is tantamount to an answer but she needs to explain her actions. She hopes that once he's heard her out, he'll understand. "Yeah, I knew," she confesses to him.

Cain's reaction is predictable to say the least, he can't get angry with her, it's not going to acheive anything. Hurt is his current overriding emotion but he wants to try and understand why she kept him in the dark for so long, "why didn't you tell me?" he asks her.

"I only found out for definite a few days after we split up," she tells him, "I'd suspected it for about a week, but with everything kicking off back in the village, there was never a right time to share my suspicions with you," she adds. Harriet pauses and takes a breath before continuing, "this pregnancy doesn't change anything for me though, you still belong with Moira and Issac, I'll manage just fine on my own."

At that moment, Cain doesn't know how to break it to her that it's just not true; him and Moira are done for good now, and there's no going back. "I take it this means you're back then?" he asks her next and when Harriet nods her head in response, he moves onto his next question, "what happened to the Oxford job?"

"It was offered it to me but I turned it down," Harriet explains, "I think it helped me put everything in perspective, it made me realise that I didn't want to bring my...our baby into the world in an unfamiliar place, I want to be as close to home as possible."

"So, if you turned the job down, why didn't you come back to the village?"

"What is this? Twenty questions?" Harriet teases him, she doesn't mind answering him but he does seem to be firing an awful lot of questions at her today. She can't really blame him, she knew he was going to want answers when he did eventually see her again. She just didn't expect them to be coming so thick and fast, "I didn't come back for the same reason that I left in the first place. I didn't want to watch you playing 'happy families' with Moira and Issac knowing that I was having your baby too," she eventually answers his question, "it sounds really petty and selfish, but that's how I felt."

Harriet had stepped aside so that Cain could be with Moira and their baby boy, but she was made to regret that decision a mere few days later when she found out she was carrying Cain's baby too. He sees where she's coming from, and her actions are starting to make sense to him, but he still doesn't feel ready to tell her what's gone on in her absence. "You've got somewhere to stay though, haven't you?" he enquires.

"Oh yeah," Harriet replies, "one of my old mates from the force has been putting up with me, as well as the hormones, morning sickness and all that," she adds as she laughs it off, it'll all be worth it in the end, she tells herself.

"Did you want a lift back?" he asks her, "because I don't mind dropping you off," he adds as he hands back the scan pictures that were still in his grasp.

Harriet smiles as she tucks them safely back into her bag, "if you're sure you've nothing to rush back for," she tells him.

"I haven't, but if I did have, I'd happily make an excuse to not go back,"

Cain finds himself looking straight at Harriet once more as he turns to face her, he still feels the spark burning bright between them and he can't help noticing as her gaze slips down to his lips before moving back up again. It's taking all his will in the world not to lean in and kiss her but he doesn't want to overstep the mark in case that's not what she wants. Her demeanour tells him that she's still into the idea of them, but Cain doesn't want to act on what he feels, in case he's got her wrong, what if she has moved on in the ten weeks that have elapsed since their last night together? She can't have, can she?

"Come on," Cain says to her, breaking the silence that had descended between them, "I don't want you catching a cold."

Harriet smiles as she rises from the wooden bench followed by Cain, his words tell her a great deal about where his mind's at with them currently. There's still something there, she can feel it, but it is concern really for her, or more for his unborn daughter? Only time will tell...

* * *

Cain's stops his BMW outside a quaint little bungalow on the outskirts of Hotten, he had no idea that Harriet had been living so close for as long as she had been. There's a lot of things he wishes he had done differently but he can't change what's happened, it's in the past. However, he can take steps to ensure that he never has to be without Harriet again. He's tried it, he was miserable, and he doesn't want to go back there again.

"Thanks for the lift Cain," Harriet tells him appreciatively as she leans across to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

It's a brief, heaven-like moment for him but it's soon lost when she pulls away. She undoes her seatbelt before she picks up her bag and she's just about to open the passenger's door when Cain's hand upon her thigh stops her in her tracks. "Harriet," he murmurs to her, breaking the silence that had descended between them.

"Yeah," she responds.

A warm glow of happiness spreads through her as she hears her name roll off the tip of his tongue, she's missed hearing that in her absence. Cain's silent for a couple of moments after Harriet's reply, he's trying to work out how best to word his latest question to her, perhaps the one he wants an answer to more than any other he's asked her that day. "Can we try and make a go of this?" he asks her, "you and me, I mean."

Cain's amazed that he's even found it in him to ask the question; he thought he'd still feel some of the anger and hurt that he had endured when she had left all those weeks ago. Now that they had spoken about everything however, he knows and understands why she felt as though she had to make such a drastic move. No matter how hard he tries, he simply cannot hate her, he loves her far too much for that.

Harriet herself is stunned that he's asked, she's not kept up-to-date with the goings-on in the village since she left, for fear of being drawn back, but she had presumed that Cain had gone back to Moira and the two of them were bringing up their son together. Was that not the case then? There's only one way to find out…

"What about your wife? And your son?" she tentatively asks.

Harriet notices Cain's grip tighten upon the steering wheel in response to her question, she senses that something's not quite right. She doesn't want to push him, but they were close once and something tells her he will unburden himself to her eventually. "I don't have a wife," he eventually confesses, mirroring some of the first words he ever said to her upon her arrival in the village over four years beforehand, "not anymore anyway," he adds, "and besides Kyle, I don't have a son either."

Sadness clouds Harriet's face as she hears his words, immediately assuming the worst. "Oh Cain, I'm so sorry," she tells him consolingly as she reaches across the car and lays a gentle hand upon his arm.

"What are you sorry for? I'm not," he unintentionally snaps at her.

Harriet flinches, she's deeply perturbed by his response. Something pretty major has gone down in the ten weeks that have elapsed since she departed the village and now, she wants to find out what. "What's happened?" she cautiously asks him.

Again, she's not pushing him but something tells her that despite everything that has happened since they broke up, he'll open up in the end, she's the only one that he can _really_ talk to. "Moira lied," Cain finally tells her, "Issac was never my son," he adds, "I never gave a DNA sample at the hospital when we originally had the test done so all it did conclusively prove was that he wasn't Pete's. When you stated at the hospital that he must be mine, Moira just went along with it. In truth, she has no idea who his father is, all we know for sure is that he's not mine, and he's not Pete's."

Harriet cannot believe what she's hearing, she's missed out on so much since she left and if anything, the guilt she felt at leaving in the first place has now increased tenfold. He's lost so much in the past weeks, she has no intention of adding to it by leaving him again. "How did you find all this out?" she questions.

It feels like a bit of a role-reversal from earlier now, she's asking all the questions and wanting him to provide the answers. "I started spending more time with her and Issac after you left and I wanted to be certain that he was mine before I committed myself to them both," Cain explains to her, "Moira wasn't happy about it to start with but she gave in and we got the test done, but it came back negative. After that, I decided that I needed a clean break from her so I filed for divorce. We got the decree nisi about four weeks ago, so not long to go now until it's all official, at last."

She's stunned, completely stunned by this latest bombshell. Cain was never Issac's son so in effect, she ended their relationship for nothing. It's not Harriet's fault though, she had trusted Moira's word, they all had. "How is Moira?" she asks.

He loves that about her, the fact that despite everything she now knows, she's still concerned about her wellbeing. Cain shrugs his shoulders in response, "I don't know," he responds, "she left with Issac last week, I think she's in London with Hannah."

Harriet nods her head and senses that he doesn't really want to talk about it anymore, so that brings the conversation to a close. Her head is spinning with all these revelations but one thing is now crystal clear in her mind; there is nothing standing in the way of a reunion with him. The only obstacle that was ever in the way was Moira but now she's out of the picture, there's nothing to stop her getting her man if she's still wants him. The truth is, she does, she's never stopped wanting or loving him but the circumstances dictated to them at the time that it just wasn't to be. It's all change now though.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asks, "because I don't want you to feel obliged to be with me because of this little one," she adds as her hands cradle her bump.

Cain's stunned that she has to ask, he can't really say he blames her though, he wasn't around while Debbie and Kyle were growing up but he's now ready to change that and be there for his and Harriet's unborn daughter. He turns to his left to face her, and his hand moves from the steering wheel to rest upon her cheek, "I have never wanted anyone more than I want you," he tells her sincerely, "the two of you," he adds as his free hand joins hers upon the bump. He left it too late to tell her how he felt when she left all those weeks ago, he's not going to make the same mistake twice. "I love you Harriet," he tells her, "you ask anyone back in the village, I was a mess after you left. I was angry and hurt that you'd left without saying a proper goodbye, or even leaving a proper explanation. I wanted to hate you for what you'd done but I soon realised that I could never properly hate you, not really. I also realised as well that no matter how hard you try, you can't hate someone who you're so deeply in love with, you've got my heart Harriet; it's yours, if that's OK with you."

It's all she's ever wanted to hear from him and if anything now, she loves him even more. Harriet too was in a state when she left, the pregnancy had sent her off into a tailspin as she worried about what would come next. All she had known for certain was that a termination was out of the question; if she never set eyes on Cain again, then their child would be the constant reminder that he had given her greatest gift of all, and didn't even know. Now however, he knows and everything is falling into place nicely, "it's more than OK with me," she finally responds.

The grin upon Cain's face could not have been wider as he leans towards her and presses his lips to hers for the first time in ten weeks; it's been a long ten weeks but as he seals their reunion with a warm and passionate kiss, it feels as though no time has passed between them at all. The chemistry and all the feelings that come with it are still as present as they were before their break-up, if anything, their feelings for each other have grown in the past few hours because in just a few short months, they'll share the ultimate bond in their baby daughter. "You're certainly not going to be a free man when that decree absolute comes through by the way," Harriet mutters as she eventually pulls away, "you'll be my man."

Cain grins, "I'm already yours," he tells her, "and that's perfectly fine with me."

This time, it's her lips that meet his in a soft kiss and as Harriet pulls away, she leans her forehead against his, "will you do something for me Harriet?" He eventually questions as he pulls back to look into her eyes.

"I could do," she teases him, "depends on what it is."

"Come back to the village, so we can make a go of this, properly,"

His request unnerves her, there's no reason anymore for her to stay away, the only reason she has stayed away is because she couldn't bear to be forced to see Cain playing 'happy families' with Moira and Issac when she too was carrying his baby. Moira and Issac being around is no longer an issue, but she's still nervous about returning. Cain senses something's wrong by Harriet's lack of a response, "what's wrong?" he gently asks her.

"Nothing," Harriet assures him as she rubs gently at her bump, "I'm just a little nervous about what people are going to say about this," she adds as she glances down at the bump to emphasise her point.

"If people don't like it, that's their look-out. I'll beat anyone up that says anything against my two favourite girls,"

Hearing Cain say those last three words sends Harriet's heart soaring, but she definitely doesn't approve of the sentiment he expressed, "don't you dare," she chastises him, "I want you at home with us, not banged up on an assault charge."

"I was joking," Cain tells her, laughing it off to emphasise his point, "where are we calling home then?"

Harriet smiles, "where do you think?" she asks him, "Emmerdale."

It sounds cheesy and he knows it, but Cain's smile in that moment is so wide that it's in danger of becoming permanent. He can't put into words the joy he's feeling in that moment and he can't wait to share their good news with his family. Cain's phone starts ringing in his pocket and the noise pulls him out of his happy bubble, he pulls it out and frowns at the screen, "it's Debbie, I need to take this," he tells her.

Harriet nods her head as Cain answers the call, "Debs," he cheerfully greets her.

" _Don't 'Debs' me,"_ she snaps, _"I thought you were only going up to the hospital to give Chas her change of clothes."_

He puts his hand to his forehead as he remembers that Debbie's holding the fort at the garage, and that he'd promised to be back in time for lunch to take over as she had to dash off to a meeting. "I'll be back soon Debs," he assures her, "I'm just picking up some precious cargo."

" _Precious cargo?"_ Debbie questions, _"what does that mean?"_

"You'll find out soon enough Debs, I'll talk to you soon," he tells her before hanging up on her.

Cain tosses his phone into the back of the car and both he and Harriet watch as it lands on top of her bulky winter coat. "Precious cargo eh?" Harriet mutters teasingly, "is that me, or madam in here," she adds as she points once again towards her bump.

He laughs as he leans closer to her, "both of you," he tells her as his nose brushes against her, "you've got nothing to worry about anymore because I'm here, and I'm going to look after both of you."

Harriet smiles in response to his words, "good," she replies.

Their lips meet once more in a soft and tender kiss. Once Cain pulls away, he smiles softly in her direction and winks at her, it melts Harriet's heart. When she woke up that morning, she was single, pregnant and near-enough alone but now, things could not be more different; she's back with the man she loves more than almost anyone else in the world and in just a few months time, their already-treasured baby girl will join them.

She can't wait, and neither can he.

* * *

 _Feel free to drop me your comments ;)_

 _Just the one more chapter to come; Baby Dingle is on her way :D_

 _x_


	3. His Number One Priority

_Hello there, lovely readers!_

 _I'm back, and I have another chapter for you :D_

 _So, I know I promised Baby Dingle's arrival in this chapter but having finished writing this earlier on today, I decided to split the chapter into two. The final chapter will be up in a few days._

 _Enjoy_

 _x_

* * *

 **Chapter Three: His Number One Priority**

There is now just the three weeks until Baby Dingle is due to make her entrance into the world. Or at least, that's what both Cain and Harriet think…

He stretches out in their double bed and is slightly surprised when his hand doesn't meet her warm body, just the sheet beneath. Cain opens his eyes before sitting up in bed, "Harriet?" he calls out to her.

His facial expression creases into a frown at the lack of a response. Cain glances briefly at the clock upon the bedside table; it reads just past 6am and he can't help wondering what Harriet's doing awake so early in the day. His first thought is that her labour's already started and, for whatever reason, she hadn't wanted to wake him. Her hospital bag has been packed for the better part of three weeks, they had been made aware of the likelihood of a premature birth, as it was Harriet's first child, so they had wanted to be prepared for the eventuality, just in case.

Cain pulls himself out of bed before pottering across the room and opening the door; he steps out onto the landing before descending the stairs. As he reaches the bottom, he hears noises coming from the living room, he breathes a sigh of relief as Harriet's soft voice filters out to him in the hallway. A soft smiles graces his handsome face as he hears her talking quietly to her bump. Ever since they reunited, it's something he's noticed that she does whenever she feels their daughter move in her tummy; it melts his heart, even more so with every day that passes.

He pokes his head around the living room door and smiles as he sees Harriet settled upon the sofa, her back to him in the doorway as she cradles her bump. He steps into the room and approaches her, "good morning," he murmurs quietly so as not to startle her before leaning over the sofa to press a soft kiss to the top of her head.

Harriet turns around as best she can before greeting him with a smile, "morning," she softly responds before he leans in for the usual 'good morning' kiss, "I didn't wake you when I got up, did I?" she adds questioningly as she looks up into his eyes.

Cain shakes his head, "you didn't," he assures her, "and I wouldn't have minded if you had," he adds, making sure she knows that, "what are you doing up anyway? Have you seen the time?"

Harriet smiles, "I saw the time," she replies, "Madam on the other hand definitely didn't," she adds as her gaze descends to the bump, "I couldn't sleep anyway," she explains, "woke up with cramp about half-hour ago and couldn't get back off to sleep. I'm surprised my tossing and turning didn't wake you."

"I think I've become immune to it since we got back together," Cain jokes with her, "are you OK though?" he asks her as he tenderly tucks her hair behind her ear.

She nods her head, "the cramps keep coming and going but apart from that, I'm fine," she assures him.

Cain smiles at her, "what have you been doing to pass the time anyway?"

"I was flicking through this," Harriet tells him as she lifts the book from her lap and over her head.

Cain takes it from her and smiles as recognition clouds his face. It's the baby-book that he had brought for their daughter a couple of months back. Shortly after their reunion and Harriet's subsequent return to the village, the two of them had moved into Emma's old place; Ross and Pete had moved into Butler's Farm after Moira's departure so that they could take over the farm and the business in her absence. Both Cain and Harriet had been well aware that they'd need a place of their own to call home once their baby arrived, and Dale View was as good as any other place on offer in the village.

After moving all their stuff in, they'd taken a trip into Hotten to buy some extra things for the house, just the little finishing touches to truly make it their own place. On their way back to the village, Cain had stopped outside a baby shop and made Harriet stay in the car while he went inside to make a purchase. He had emerged a few minutes later with a wrapped package under his arm and immediately, Harriet was suspicious. She didn't get to unwrap the package until later that evening but when she did, she was blown away by what had fallen into her lap.

It was the most beautiful baby-book she had ever laid eyes on; Harriet had no idea that Cain even knew such a thing existed so needless to say, she was thrilled with his gift. She hadn't thought she could love him anymore than she already did, until he explained the reasoning behind the gift. Cain had told her he had brought it so that they had something they could pass onto their daughter when she was old enough, perhaps for a milestone birthday, he had suggested. Something that chronicled every stage of their relationship, from the mild hatred and sexual tension to the full-blown love they share for each other now.

Cain eventually rounds the sofa and sits himself down beside Harriet; he places the book down upon his lap as Harriet curls into his side as best she can before pulling the book back towards her, so she can see it too. "I still can't believe you brought this," she tells him as he turns back to the first page.

He watches her in a state of complete adoration as her finger traces over the two scan pictures they had stuck into the book the evening she had unwrapped it; the first picture was from the dating scan she'd had a few weeks after discovering her pregnancy, the other one being from the anomaly scan when Harriet had found out that she was having Cain's daughter. "As I told you at the time, I just thought it would be nice for our girl to have something like this when she's older, so that she knows what we went through to be together."

Harriet's hormones have been all over the place for most of her pregnancy, but his heartfelt words have sent her emotions spiralling once again, "I never knew you could be such a soppy so-and-so," she teases him as she wipes away the tears in her eyes.

"Consider yourself lucky," he teases her back, "you're the only one who gets to see that side of me now."

"I do, everyday," she tells him as he turns the page. The two of them laugh and reminisce amongst themselves as they read the extracts that they have added in the past couple of months. From Harriet recalling the first time she had ever laid eyes on Cain to him detailing the exact moment when he had found out that he was going to be a Dad again, the two of them covered it all. "You hated me once upon a time," Cain reminds her.

Harriet frowns, "I wouldn't say I hated you," she replies as she defends herself to him, "I just didn't approve of the way you went about things sometimes," she adds as she closes the baby-book on their laps, "we've come so far since then though."

"And now you're marrying me,"

"And now I'm marrying you," Harriet parrots back to him. Cain had proposed to her a few weeks after they had got back together; they had been having a conversation about her surname, of all things, and he had casually mentioned how he'd like to change it someday. The conversation snowballed from there and a few minutes later, Harriet had agreed to marry him. "What on Earth have I let myself in for?" she eventually adds in an obviously sarcastic way.

Cain drapes his arm around her shoulders and pulls her as close as he can towards him, "you love me really," he teases her before dropping another kiss onto the top of her head.

Harriet looks up at him, "I do," she confirms to him, "I don't think I'd want to go through this with anyone else," she adds as she rests her head against his bare chest.

He frowns into her hair, "had you never considered it before?" he asks her softly.

She shakes her head, "not really," she admits, "when I was younger, I was either permanently single, or stuck in no-good relationships that were going nowhere," she continues, "I never imagined when we first started out that we'd have this."

Cain nods against her in agreement, "tell me about it," he responds to her.

Silence falls between the two of them as both Harriet and Cain dwell upon what the future holds for them and their baby daughter, when she joins them. At this point in her life, she has everything she's ever wanted, but at a time she didn't expect to. She has the man, soon she'll have the baby and after that, they'll be a perfect little family.

Cain feels Harriet's body relaxing against his as though she's starting to doze off, he feels terrible for waking her but he just wants her to be comfortable, and falling asleep on the sofa is not going to help that at all. "How about we go back to bed for a bit?" he quietly suggests, "you'll sleep a lot better up there than down here."

Harriet smiles sleepily up at him, "as long as you come too,"

He leans down to kiss her, "of course I will," he tells her, "if you let me get up, that is."

She laughs and sits herself up, allowing Cain to cast aside the baby-book on his lap before he rises from his seat. Harriet follows his lead and together, they both head back up the stairs and into their bedroom.

The sun has already risen for the day and some of the villagers will already be getting up to start their days. Cain and Harriet however, are not among them. On any other day, he would usually be getting up around about now so that he could start and finish early at the garage and get home to her. Cain was more than happy to forgo that particular routine for the day though, his fiancée wanted him beside her so that she could try and get back to sleep. Ever since they had reunited, she has been his number one priority, and that wasn't going to change now, his work could wait a little while longer.

* * *

Cain pushes open their bedroom door a few hours later, carrying a tray of breakfast for his pregnant fiancée. Harriet was still asleep, it had taken her a little while but luckily, she managed to drop back off to sleep once the two of them had gone back to bed earlier that morning. He stands in the bedroom doorway and glances over her for a few brief moments before being overtaken by a feeling he was becoming all too familiar with. Cain doesn't really know how it's possible, but he seems to find Harriet a lot sexier now than he did before they broke up, the only thing he can put it down to is her pregnancy. He finds her curvaceous pregnant body so sexy and Cain's found it difficult to keep his hands to himself at times.

Their love-life has suffered a great deal since their reunion, that was partly down to Harriet's doctor forbidding any strenuous activity as a result of the fluctuations in her blood pressure and also partly down to the idea of Harriet herself going off the idea of sex with him. It was difficult for him to deal with, but he knew it would all be worth it in the end, when she's given birth to their baby.

"Harriet," Cain speaks softly to her as he finally steps into the room with the tray before placing it on the end of their bed, "I've made you some breakfast."

She stirs slightly at the sound of her fiancé's voice but doesn't respond and promptly dozes off again. Harriet has never really been a morning person but now, she's even less of a morning person than she was before she fell pregnant. Her sleep pattern at the moment is disjointed at best so she's not best pleased about having her sleep interrupted during one of those rare moments where her unborn daughter is not making her presence in her tummy known. Cain leaves her for a couple of minutes he then tries again to rouse her from her slumber, "your breakfast will get cold if you're not careful," he tells her softly before climbing onto their bed behind her.

Harriet smiles as she feel Cain's soft kisses and tender touch against her neck; this time, she opens her eyes and allows herself a few moments to acclimatise to the light. "What's the time?" she eventually replies as she pulls Cain's arm tighter around her.

He smirks against her as he continues to press an array of feather-light kisses to her neck, knowing that she'll be able to feel the same stirring that he can in his boxers. "Just past 9am," he says, "I thought you might be hungry."

Harriet grins as she feels her fiance's arousal against her back, she can't help but laugh at his words, "thanks for the wake-up call…sweetheart," she tells him quietly. Harriet slowly moves onto her back and shuffles about to get herself comfy, "something smells good, I see you've been busy," she adds while she pushes herself into a comfortable sitting position against the headboard.

He nods in her direction, "I hope you're hungry," Cain responds as he too sits up and reaches down to the end of the bed, grabbing the tray and placing it on his fiancée's lap, "eggs, bacon, pancakes, and coffee," he adds as he grabs the mug before placing it down upon the bedside table.

Harriet nods approvingly at the effort he's put into making her breakfast that morning and it immediately makes her feel awful about how she's treated him in the past few weeks. Her hormones have been all over the place ever since the start of her pregnancy but her mood swings have become more and more erratic now she's reaching the later stages of the pregnancy, and Cain's bearing the brunt of her frustrations. "I love you," she tells him softly and sincerely as he moves in closer. Harriet closes the gap between them and plants a soft and tender kiss upon his lips, "I'm so sorry if I've been a nightmare to live with recently."

Cain smiles against her as he briefly kisses her back, "so you should be," he teases her as he pulls away, "I know you don't mean to be," he adds as he sweeps his thumb across her cheek.

Harriet smiles in his direction before turning her attention to her breakfast, "I'm not gonna lie," she starts as she cuts her pancake down to size, "I quite like the new and improved Cain Dingle," she adds, "I do hope he's going to stick around when Madam makes her appearance."

Cain laughs as he watches her start tucking into her breakfast, "you're stuck with me now, I'm afraid," he teases her once more. Harriet raises her eyebrows in response, "I know you said you didn't want me to change, but in you, I saw what kind of future I could have if I cleaned up my act a little bit. Your pregnancy reinforced it for me, I don't want to be the village bad-boy anymore, I want to be around to set a good example for our daughter."

He looks into Harriet's eyes and sees the tears beginning to gather; his words have completely overwhelmed her. It was true, she had never once asked him to change his ways for her but the fact that he has taken it upon himself to do just that makes her realise just how lucky she is to have him; Cain would literally do anything for her, and she knows it. "I never ever dreamt I'd hear you say those words," she mutters against his shoulder as he brings her closer for a hug.

He turns his head slightly to kiss hers, "I never thought I'd say them," he tells her as she wriggles out of his embrace, "until I fell for you, that is."

Harriet smiles at him before going back to her breakfast; silence descends between the two of them as she hungrily devours the plate of food that Cain had made for her. She hadn't truly realised how hungry she actually was until she got a whiff of the breakfast. Once she's finished, Cain takes the tray from her lap and lays it down at the bottom of the bed, he leans back against the headboard as Harriet curls herself into his side once again. He reaches for the mug of coffee upon the bedside table, passing it over to his fiancée, "are you still seeing Laurel today by the way?" he asks her softly as she takes a sip from her warm mug, "because if you've changed your mind, I'll get Dan to hold the fort at the garage."

Harriet had made plans earlier on in the week to meet Laurel for lunch that day but Cain was wondering if she would cancel her plans because she'd had such a terrible night's sleep. At this late stage of her pregnancy, Cain doesn't really want Harriet to be left on her own for too long, just in case her labour starts early and she finds herself unable to call anyone to tell them, for whatever reason. She nods her head in response to his question, "I'll be fine," she assures him as she finishes her coffee, "I need distraction and seeing Laurel will keep me occupied," she adds, "I think Madam's getting restless in there," Harriet continues as her free hand sits atop her huge bump, "I can relate."

Harriet's had enough of being pregnant now, all she wants now is to meet her baby daughter. Little does she know they'll be meeting their little girl sooner than they realise…

Cain smiles sympathetically at his fiancée, he knows how much she's hated being pregnant, "it'll all be worth it in the end," he tells her consolingly as his hand joins hers upon the bump.

She nods in response, "I can't wait to meet her," she mutters as Cain's hand finds her upon the bump and their fingers intertwine.

He nods above her, "me neither," he replies, "if she's even half as gorgeous as you, we've done well."

Harriet looks up at him and frowns, "gorgeous? Me?" she questions, "right now, I'm the size of a whale, how can you find that attractive?"

Cain smiles at her and leans down once more to kiss the top of her head, he can't really put into words why he finds pregnant Harriet more sexy than not-pregnant Harriet. "You might be the size of a whale babe," he mutters to her, "but I still fancy you something rotten," he tells her, making his point by leaning down to press a soft, yet passionate kiss to her lips before he pulls away and climbs off their double bed.

Harriet watches as Cain wanders towards the bedroom door, still clothed in only his boxers, "are you sure you're going to be OK?" he asks her gently.

She rolls her eyes and laughs at Cain's question, she knows he's just being protective. "I'll be fine," she assures him once again, "Laurel will look after me, and if anything happens, we'll call you."

Cain nods his head, he knows his fiancée is in safe hands with Laurel, she's been through it all before so if Harriet's labour does start early, at least she'll know what to do.

Harriet's return to the village a few months ago had been meet with raised eyebrows by the majority of the villagers, not least because of the unexpected pregnancy. Laurel had been the only one to offer Harriet her support, after all, she too had been blessed with an unexpected baby in Dotty less than two years previously, so she knew what Harriet was going through and was probably the best placed person to support her. As Harriet's pregnancy wore on, Cain had come to realise how much he too valued Laurel's support; most people in the village still seemed to determined to write Cain and Harriet off as 'The Odd Couple Who Wouldn't Make It Work'. Sure, even Laurel had been sceptical at first but once she had seen the depth of Cain's feelings for Harriet, she was well and truly on board. As long as her friend was happy, then she was too. "Make sure you do," Cain eventually tells her.

"Stop worrying," Harriet replies, "I'll call you if anything happens, I'm not giving birth to this little madam without you by my side."

Cain nods his head, he knows she's being serious. Besides losing the baby at birth, he's well aware that her biggest fear about the birth itself is going through it alone; he's not going to let that happen. He wants to be there at the birth not just to support his fiancée, but also to see their baby daughter being brought into the world. He wants to share that precious moment with her.

"I'd better go get ready for work," Cain eventually says to her, breaking the contented silence that had descended.

Harriet sits herself up in bed and smirks as her gaze rakes over his near-naked body, "you'd better put some clothes on before you do head out that door," she teases him.

Cain laughs, "I intend to," he replies, "I'm just going for a shower."

"I wish I could join you," Harriet mutters sadly.

He raises his eyebrows in her direction, "what's stopping you?"

"Doctors orders," Harriet reminds him, "do you really want my blood pressure to go through the roof again?"

"I guess not," Cain concedes to her, "I'll be back in a bit."

Harriet watches him go and makes herself comfortable in their double bed once again. She dozes off again with a smile upon her face, safe in the knowledge that Cain will rouse her once more when he's finished in the shower. She needs to make the most of the time she has to sleep before their daughter arrives, and Harriet intends on doing just that…

* * *

"Not long left now," Laurel says to Harriet as the two of them enjoy a quiet post-lunch drink in the Woolpack.

Harriet nods her head as she sips at her orange juice, "three weeks and counting," she replies.

Laurel laughs, she's already well aware of how much Harriet hates being pregnant, but it's the first time her friend has admitted to counting down the weeks until the new arrival is due. "How are you feeling?" she asks.

Harriet pulls a face, "excited and nervous," she admits, "I'd say it's more excitement at the moment, I can't wait to meet our little one."

Despite Harriet's close bond with Laurel, she hasn't told her friend that she knows she's having a little girl. In fact, she and Cain are the only two people that do know; they had discussed it before she had returned to the village and decided to keep that little piece of information to themselves until the birth, they liked the idea of keeping the baby's gender as their little secret. It took them both back to the days when they had just started out seeing each other and were trying to keep their relationship a secret; it felt good to be in on something that no-one else knew about. "Any pains at all?" Laurel questions as she penetrates her friend's daydream about her unborn daughter. Harriet pulls another face and nods her head before going into detail about the cramps and other pains she's been having during the course of the morning and indeed, their lunch. "That could be the start of your labour," she points out once Harriet's finished, "it might not be Braxton Hicks."

Harriet wants to meet her baby daughter more than anything in the world but at that moment, the mere thought of the labour that has to come before that is making her nervous. She's excited about meeting the new arrival but she's not mentally ready for the pain she's going to have to endure to make that happen, at least, not yet she's not. Laurel senses that her words aren't giving much comfort to Harriet at that moment, so she doesn't say anything more. Harriet finishes the last of her orange juice and slowly gets to her feet, "I'll be back in a couple of minutes Laurel," she says, "need the loo."

Laurel nods her head and watches as Harriet makes her way through to the pub's toilets. About five minutes pass by and Harriet still hasn't re-emerged, Laurel's beginning to get concerned so she gathers their things together before heading towards the pub toilets herself. As she pushes open the door to the ladies', Laurel finds Harriet doubled over against the sink, gripping the ceramic for support. "Harriet? What's happened?" she asks her friend as she rushes to her side.

She's ignored the niggling and intermittent pains she's been having for most of the day so far, but Harriet's now starting to realise she can't ignore them for much longer. She inhales a deep and then exhales before finally finding her voice, "you were right," she gasps, "I think my baby's on the way."

* * *

 _Apologies for the cliff-hanger ;)_

 _Come and shout at me if you want the next chapter :p_

 _x_


	4. Welcome, Baby Dingle

_Hello again lovely readers!_

 _I'm back again, and here's the final chapter for you all :D_

 _Thanks so much to everyone for their reviews/comments, I really do appreciate them!_

 _x_

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Welcome, Baby Dingle**

After an unsuccessful attempt to reach her doctor get some advice, Harriet then calls Cain to let him know about the latest development. There's a tonne of work to do at the garage but despite that, he immediately drops everything and races back to the house to be by her side. "How is she?" he asks Laurel as soon as he steps over the threshold.

Laurel smiles in his direction, "she's doing OK," she responds, "so far."

Cain nods his head, he knows that this phase of early labour is the calm before the storm, "shouldn't we be getting her to hospital or something?"

"Not just yet," Laurel says to him, "she hasn't been able to get hold of the doctor. If you take her up to Hotten General now, they might just examine her and send her back here until her labour's established."

"What can I do to help?" he asks her.

"Keep trying Harriet's doctor, if she needs to be in hospital, then the sooner you know the better," Laurel replies, "in the meantime, time the contractions, keep her hydrated, get her to eat something if you can," she adds, "I mean, I know we've not long had lunch but trust me, she'll need all her energy for what's to come," she continues, "most importantly though, do whatever you can to keep her occupied, the less time she has to think about what's going to happen before the two of you meet your baby, the better."

Again, Cain nods his head, "thanks Laurel," he tells her gratefully.

She smiles in his direction, "not a problem," she replies, "I'll leave you both to it, keep me updated as and when you can."

Cain nods in her direction one last time and he watches as Laurel steps over the threshold and closes the front door after her.

He finds Harriet in their living room settled upon the sofa, cradling her huge bump. For someone who's in early-stage labour, she's looking remarkably calm, but Cain know it won't stay that way for long. "I take it Madam's getting impatient," he mutters to his fiancée as he joins her on the sofa, pressing a soft kiss to the side of her head as he sits himself down.

"Something like that," Harriet mutters back as she makes herself comfortable against him.

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"The last one was about fifteen minutes ago, they're still irregular for now,"

"You sound as though you know what you're talking about," Cain teases her.

"Laurel's given me an idea of what to expect," Harriet replies.

"Right, let's not think about that for now," Cain tells her, "let's stick a movie on or something."

Harriet nods in agreement, "do I get to choose?"

Cain rolls his eyes behind her, "if you must,"

"Find Titanic, please,"

He kisses the side of her head once more and rises from the sofa; Harriet watches him, and a smile creases her face as he searches for the DVD of her favourite film. The expression on her face changes however, as she feels her bump contract, and she winces in response to the contraction. Cain turns around at exactly that moment and concern clouds his face, "contraction?" he asks her softly.

Harriet nods as she uses the breathing techniques she was taught at the ante-natal classes to get through it. The feeling soon disappears, and Cain carries on his search for the DVD; he eventually finds it and puts it into the player. He doesn't press play upon the DVD until he's back on the sofa beside her. Cain hates Titanic, it's too long, it's dull and definitely not to his taste but if it keeps Harriet occupied during this early stage of her labour, he doesn't mind sitting through it with her, just once more.

Between Cain and Harriet, they have tried to get hold of her doctor at least once, sometimes twice, every half an hour for the past two and a half hours, and still no answer.

As the film has gone on, Harriet's contractions have become both stronger and more frequent; they're now coming at seven minute intervals. Cain's now beginning to wonder whether he needs to be driving her up to Hotten General to get her examined. "Babe, I think we should be getting you to hospital," he says, tentatively broaching the subject with her, a note of concern is apparent in his voice.

Harriet determinedly shakes her head, "no, not yet," she wails, "I want to see the end of the film."

Cain rolls his eyes behind her, he had expected the idea of driving her to the hospital to be met with a little bit of resistance, he just didn't expect her to be quite that stubborn. "You've seen this film a hundred time," he points out, "you know how it ends, what's the point?"

"That's not the point and you know it," she argues with him, "I've started the film…I want to finish it."

Deep down, Cain knows he should be putting his foot down and insisting on driving her to the hospital, but Harriet's digging her heels in and he doesn't want to start an argument with her. "OK, OK," he gives in to her, "but once this movie is done, I'm taking you to the hospital. I'm a mechanic, not a midwife."

Harriet laughs at his last words and nods in agreement, "if you say so," she tells him as she pulls herself up off the sofa.

"Where are you going?"

"I was going to grab a drink,"

"I'll get it," Cain says to her as he starts to rise from the sofa as well.

"I might be in labour Cain, but I can still walk…just," she snaps at him. He gives in once more and lets her go but a wave of concern immediately floods his body once more as he hears her call his name from the hallway a few moments later. Cain rises quickly from the sofa and hovers in the living room doorway, unsure of what to do next. He sees his pregnant fiancée holding onto the bannister with one hand, while clutching at her pregnancy bump with the other. "I don't think I'll be finishing Titanic tonight," she tells him, "you need to get me to the hospital now. My waters have broken, Madam's on her way."

* * *

Seven hours have elapsed since Harriet was admitted to Hotten General, and it's been the longest seven hours of Cain Dingle's life.

Upon her arrival at the hospital, Harriet had been examined and informed that she was four centimetres dilated, so almost halfway there. Her blood pressure had been taken and it was a little higher than her doctor would've liked so Harriet was rigged up to a foetal monitor, which enabled her doctor to check that the baby wasn't in any distress. Upon attachment, a satisfied smile crossed the face of her doctor, as well as the expectant parents, as Baby Dingle's steady heartbeat had filled the room. All was well.

Harriet was already feeling the pain, so she'd been given an injection to help with that; the injection of pethidine had left her feeling rather relaxed, almost stoned. In fact, at one point, she was so high that she had tried to initiate sex with Cain before finally falling into a drug-induced sleep.

Aside from being propositioned by his heavily pregnant fiancée, who was high on pain relief at the time, it's been a pretty dull seven hours for Cain but luckily for him, things are now starting to move along. All being well, he hopes that the new addition to the Dingle family will be with them by the morning.

* * *

"I can't do this, I can't do this," Harriet wails out loud.

"Babe, you've been saying that for the past hour," Cain tells her.

It's been ninety minutes since Harriet started the process of pushing her baby out into the world and she's felt nothing but constant pain ever since. The gas and air gives her a little relief, but it barely touches the sides. "I know," she snaps at him, "but I'm serious this time, I can't do this."

Cain knows she's not going to like his next retort, so he doesn't dare to voice it; he feels helpless in the knowledge that there's nothing he can really do to take away the excruciating pain she's in. He makes an attempt to wipe her sweat-ridden brow with a cool flannel but before he can make contact, another contraction takes her breath away, leaving her to scream out in pain shortly afterwards. Cain too is trying valiantly not to cry loud himself because in the midst of that latest contraction, Harriet squeezed his hand so hard that she almost cut off his circulation. He manages to keep a lid on things though, his discomfort is nothing compared with what Harriet is going through, and she would no doubt remind him of that if he was to voice his own anguish, so he keeps it to himself. "You're doing amazingly sweetheart," he tells her encouragingly as he makes another attempt to wipe her brow. This time, he succeeds and follows it up with a soft kiss to her damp forehead, "keep breathing."

"You…do…it," Harriet snaps at him in between inhalations of gas and air, "it's your fault that I'm in this pain," she adds, her body writhes in agony against the bed as the foetal monitor beeps loudly beside her.

Cain doesn't respond, he just lets her vent; over the course of her pregnancy, he had learnt there was never any point in arguing with her when her mood swings were so erratic, there was even less point to it now. Harriet's in agony, and she's taking it out on the closest person to her; as usual, it's him. Before she even knows what's happening, her doctor is examining her once more, and her gaze soon flicks back towards the monitors. Baby Dingle's heart rate was continuing to drop with every contraction, and Harriet's doctor was getting concerned that she was going to struggle to deliver this baby.

Harriet's hand finds Cain's and her fingers become entwined with his as she feels her doctor's hand upon her bump, "we need to get this baby delivered as quickly as we can," she states in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, she doesn't want to alarm the two expectant parents, "Harriet, with your with your next contraction, I want you to take a deep breath and push down into your bottom, then keep going until I say stop."

"Doctor, what's happening?" Cain pipes up, he too had noted that their baby's heart was dropping, but he hadn't wanted to distress fiancée by mentioning it; her doctor's words had prompted it.

He doesn't get an answer to his question and Harriet's loud sob brings his attention back to her; she needs to deliver their baby, and he needs to help get through it, whatever happens beyond that, they will face it together. "Please don't let anything happen to our baby," she cries, the tears stream down her flushed face, while Cain does what he can to wipe them away.

Her doctor taps one of Harriet's raised knees and smiles calmly in her patient's direction, "let's not get carried away just yet," she tells in that same calm tone of voice, "now, remember what I said…as soon as you feel the contraction, use it, and push," she finishes as her gaze returns the monitors.

Harriet's body is now a quivering wreck and she pulls Cain towards her as she feels the next contraction beginning to mount. He holds her as close as he can while continuing to whisper encouraging words in her ear and stroking her damp hair out of her face. Harriet inhales a deep breath and soon feels her bump contract again; soon enough, the urge to push is upon her. A sharp pain rips through the underneath of her pregnant stomach as she shuts her eyes tight and pushes with all the strength she has; a low growling sound emanates from her lips as she does so. Cain maintains his hold upon his fiancée, his gaze wavering between her and the doctor, as she instructs her to keep on pushing.

"OK Harriet, relax," her doctor tells her as she places a hand on her bump, "as the next contraction comes, do the same. Baby's head is nearly crowning," she finishes as her gaze once again turns to the monitors.

Harriet does not even have time to recover from the last contraction before the next one is upon her. A searing pain shoots through her and as a result, she redoubles her grip upon Cain's hand. She's so close but still feels so far away from actually giving birth to their baby daughter. Harriet doesn't feel as though her pushing is getting her anywhere, yet it is; she's on the brink of bringing their baby daughter into the world. The pain she's experiencing is unbelievable, far worse than she had ever expected it to be. She is exhausted, but somehow, she manages to summon the energy to do as her doctor has instructed. Harriet takes another deep breath and pushes as hard as she possibly can; her scream echoes in Cain's ears while a horrific burning sensation rips through her womanhood. The pain at this point is excruciating, it's so bad that she almost passes out.

The doctor looks up at the two of them and smiles, "baby's head is nearly out," she announces to them, her words sent a wave of relief shooting through Cain's body, she's almost there. "With the next contraction Harriet, I need you to stop pushing when I say so, and pant."

Harriet looks up into Cain's eyes before shaking her head, "I can't do it," she reiterates to him again as fresh waves of tears stream down her already tear-stained cheeks.

"You _can_ do this sweetheart, you're almost there," Cain encourages her, he squeezes her hand as another contraction rips through her tired body, "push Harriet," he tells her before wrapping his arm around his fiancée's body, supporting her weight as she bears down.

The burning sensation disappears, and a strange, sudden feeling of calm takes over Harriet as her doctor instructs her to stop pushing and start panting. The baby's head emerges, and she checks around its neck for the cord; a worried look sweeps across the doctor's face, Cain notices the look upon the doctor's face, it does not bode well. It makes him feel slightly nauseous, he doesn't want to worry Harriet with what he's seen, so he re-focusses his attention on her. Something's not right, Harriet can sense that much; their baby has not made a sound and before she can even contemplate the thought that now swims in the forefront of her mind, one final contraction overcomes her.

"That's it, push Harriet," her doctor instructs her, she pulls out their baby's small, limp body as Harriet does as instructed before cutting the cord.

She slumps back against the bed as the doctor carries her new-born baby over to a unit in the corner of the room. The silence in the delivery room is deafening and it's only penetrated by Harriet's sobs as she looks up into her fiancé's eyes, the look upon his face says everything that needs to be said in that moment. Cain pulls his fiancée into his arms as together, they watch the doctor work on clearing the fluid from their new-born baby's airways. Harriet can't bear to look for a second longer and she buries her face into the crease of Cain's neck; she can't help but think that her worst nightmare is about to come true; their baby dying, shortly after birth.

All remains quiet in the corner as Harriet's doctor continues to work upon the tiny new-born; she turns the baby over before rubbing its back with a firm hand. Seconds later, a loud piercing cry breaks the silence in the delivery room; both Cain and Harriet look anxiously towards her doctor and another few seconds later, she allows the nurse to take over with cleaning up the baby and approaches the couple. She smiles, holding out her hand for Cain to shake, "congratulations Miss Finch, Mr Dingle, you have a new daughter," she happily announces, shaking Cain's hand before doing the same with Harriet, "she had me worried for a few moments, but she's going to be just fine," she finishes off her announcement with a big smile before leaving the room.

The biggest smile creeps across Harriet's face as she rests her head against Cain's chest; she's never felt so scared before in all her life. Those moments that elapsed between her delivering their baby and hearing her cry were the longest she has ever experienced, and she never wants to go through that again. Now however, she is mere moments away from holding their baby daughter in her arms for the very first time. She lifts her weary head from Cain's chest and she's overwhelmed by the look in his eyes, it's pride, complete happiness and contentment rolled into one. "I am _so_ proud of you," he tells her sincerely as the nurse approaches with the tiny bundle in her arms.

She smiles at Cain and Harriet before handing the baby over, "she's perfect," the nurse says, "a good weight too, six pounds, eight ounces," she informs the couple before leaving the delivery room, giving the new family some time alone.

The two of them stare down at the tiny bundle in Harriet's arms, their daughter. She's gorgeous, Cain certainly got his wish; she has his eyes and seeing this makes Harriet fall in love with their baby girl just that little bit more. Her heart melts and finally, she understands what Laurel and Rhona amongst others have been telling her, about being overwhelmed with this feeling of unconditional love for this little person she's brought into the world. She feels that for her daughter now in spades, she never wants to let her go. Their daughter stares back up at her parents while she sucks upon her little hand and cries out occasionally, penetrating the silence that lingers in the room. Harriet leans down to kiss her daughter's forehead, inhaling the sweet, new-born baby scent as her lips make contact with her soft skin. She's already besotted with their baby daughter and as she looks in Cain's direction, it's clear to her that he feels exactly the same.

"Hello baby," she whispers to their daughter, "you have no idea how pleased we are to see you," she adds as Cain too leans across to kiss his baby daughter's head.

He gets himself into a comfortable sitting position upon the hospital bed before drawing his fiancée and new-born daughter into his embrace; Harriet snuggles up against him with their daughter cradled in her arms. Neither of them can tear their gaze away from the new-born, who's now sleeping peacefully against her mother's chest. Cain hooks a finger underneath Harriet's chin and turns her face towards his own, "I love you so much," he tells her more sincerely than he ever has done before as he leans towards her, wanting to kiss the mother of his new-born daughter for the first time.

Harriet smiles into the kiss as her free hand trails lazily across his cheek, "I love you too," she replies as she slowly pulls away, "and our daughter," she adds as she glances back down at the sleeping bundle in her arms. She feels her daughter jump slightly in her arms at the sound of her voice, "I think she should name her, we can't keep referring to her as 'Baby'," Harriet tells her fiancé.

Cain smothers a chuckle, "we only had one name," he reminds her, "that is, if you're still happy with it."

She nods, "I am," she quietly confirms to him.

Cain's hand delicately strokes his daughter's dark hair before kissing the side of Harriet's head, "welcome to the world…Jemima Ashleigh Dingle," he mutters quietly before pressing a kiss to baby Jemima's forehead.

Harriet smiles as she watches over their daughter; her family is complete, she cannot ask for anything else, she now has everything she's ever wanted…

* * *

Cain can't wait until the morning to relay news of Jemima's birth to his family back in Emmerdale so while Harriet's giving their daughter her first feed, he slips outside to make all the relevant phone calls. Despite the late hour, he manages to get through to most of the family, the only people he's unable to reach are Laurel and Debbie, so he leaves them both a message informing them of the good news. Once the calls are done and out of the way, Cain slips back into the room to spend some quality time with his fiancée and new-born daughter.

The sight that greets Cain as he quietly closes the door behind him would melt even the hardest of heart, and his is no different. Harriet's now sound asleep in the hospital bed, she's finished feeding Jemima and their little girl is happily snuggled up in the crook of her mother's arms as she sleeps too.

He approaches the bed and perches himself upon its edge, he leans across Harriet's sleeping figure and lifts his baby daughter out of her mother's arms. Cain then settles himself into the chair beside her bed and cradles baby Jemima in his arms; a look of complete adoration crosses his face as he stares down at his precious baby girl.

After discovering that Issac wasn't his biological son, Cain had begun to wonder whether his chance to be a proper Dad had passed him by. He had also wondered at times during his relationship with Harriet what their lives would be like if they had a child of their own; Cain had dismissed the fantasy though, because he deemed it to be nothing more than a pipedream. Now however, his pipedream is a reality; he and Harriet have this gorgeous little girl to dote on. For the first time, he gets to be a Dad from the very beginning of his child's life. He gets to watch his daughter grow up and best of all, he gets to do all of this with the person, besides his children, he loves the most.

Cain's gaze flits between baby Jemima and his sleeping fiancée; in that moment, he feels completely overwhelmed with love for the pair of them. Harriet had done so well in delivering their child and he had meant every word of what he'd said in the immediate aftermath; he has never felt prouder of her than he does in that very moment.

Harriet's awakens a few moments later and she immediately feels the emptiness in her arms. She looks around her before her gaze settles upon Cain; he is so enamoured by Jemima that he hasn't even noticed she's awake. "You know what poppet," she hears him cooing to their baby daughter, "you are _such_ a lucky little lady, shall I tell you why?" he carries on, "you've been born to the most incredible woman, your Mummy is amazing and together, we're going to do everything we can to give you the life you deserve."

Her heart melts once again as she watches the touching exchange between father and daughter, tears of happiness begin to fill her eyes as she sees Jemima's tiny hand grasping Cain's little finger. "She'll be a Daddy's Girl for sure," Harriet finally mutters, alerting him to the fact that she's awake.

He looks up at the sound of Harriet's voice and smiles in her direction, "we didn't wake you, did we?" he questions softly as he gets to his feet with the new-born in his arms.

Harriet shakes her head as she shuffles over in the bed, making room so that Cain can join her. He passes little Jemima over to her before joining the two of them upon the hospital bed. "You didn't, it's fine," she tells him as her gaze settles upon her baby daughter once more, "how long was I asleep for?"

Cain shrugs his shoulders, "an hour at the most," he quietly replies, "you look exhausted babe, go back to sleep."

Harriet laughs quietly, "thanks for that," she tells him sarcastically as she pulls the blanket tighter around their little girl's body, "I will do soon," she then assures him, "did you manage to get hold of everyone?"

"Everyone apart from Debbie and Laurel, I imagine they'll be up in dribs and drabs in the morning and beyond."

The conversation dies away, and silence falls between the two of them as they both gaze down in adoration at their sleeping daughter. "I can't believe she's here," Harriet mutters quietly, "our beautiful baby."

She can't even believe she's just uttered those words; the two of them were not even together at this point last year, Cain had broken it off because he was scared that he was going to hurt her as he had done every other woman he'd been involved with in his life. If someone had told her then that in a year's time, she and Cain would be engaged and parents to little Jemima, Harriet would not have believed them. She can't believe the twists and turns her life has taken since then, but she knows she wouldn't change it for anything, not now, not ever. "Me neither," Cain eventually responds, "she's perfect."

Harriet's gaze meets his as she raises a hand to his cheek, "I can't wait to marry you someday," she quietly proclaims to him.

Cain grins in her direction, "I can't wait to make you Mrs. Dingle either," he replies just as quietly, "but for now, this little one needs our full attention," he adds as he glances down at little Jemima, who still sleeps contentedly in her mother's arms.

Harriet nods in agreement, "I can already see her as a flower-girl," she tells him before catching his gaze once again, "I love you, Cain Dingle," she adds.

He's known how she feels about him since she broke up with him, but he knows she's never meant those words more than she does in that moment. Cain leans over her, and presses a soft, yet passionate kiss to her lips before replying, "I love you too, Harriet Finch."

Their gazes descend in unison to baby Jemima as they both lean down to press a single kiss each to their baby daughter's forehead, "and we love you, Jemima Dingle," the two of them murmur to their little girl as they pull away.

For some couples, _**love doesn't always conquer all.**_ It proved to be the case for Cain and Moira, there would always be something there between them, but she had put the death knell in their relationship by lying about Issac's parentage. As a result of the deceit, their on-off relationship had crashed and burnt.

Cain's life has changed completely since then, he's reunited with Harriet and just a few hours ago, she gave birth to their gorgeous little girl. The two of them have fought so hard to be together and now, they share the ultimate bond in baby Jemima; he has everything he's ever wanted with his two favourite girls.

 _ **Their love really does conquer all.**_

* * *

 _There you have it, a happy ending I never dreamt I was going to write when I first started out with this!_

 _Hope you've all enjoyed it, I know I've certainly enjoyed writing it. Who knows, I might write a follow-up to this sometime, watch this space!_

 _xx_


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